


Parallel Hearts || Tenth Doctor

by archimedesbae



Series: Universal Roaming [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, I'm gonna take back what I said about it being mostly canon compliant, Mostly Canon Compliant, OC travels with Doctor, Parallel Universes, Post-Episode AU: s02e13 Doomsday, also there are time-travelling pirates, seriously I do a lot of weird shit with the plot, some canon characters replaced, the doctor has some angst about rose, universal roaming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-26 03:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14991779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archimedesbae/pseuds/archimedesbae
Summary: It's the year 2006, and the Doctor wasn't prepared for Doomsday. Daleks attack, the Doctor and Rose enlist the aid of Torchwood, and the Void is opened. Tensions are at their highest - and in an instant Rose is separated from the Doctor forever.But the Void isn't finished yet...What if it's the Doctor who falls through into a parallel universe?And what if that universe is ours?...It's the year 2017, and Ash Forrester just wants to finish her second term of university. Finals are quickly approaching, she's doing her best to avoid a social life, and it's all she can do to get to class on time. Tensions are at their highest - and in an instant her world is changed forever.Ash's childhood hero has been dropped into her life, and suddenly she's not so sure that the Doctor is worth the monsters. All of time is at risk, the universe is cracking open, and Gallifrey is on the rise...Is saving the world even possible at this point?And is it worth Ash's very humanity?





	1. 0 || Pre-Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER:
> 
> This story is a work of fiction. (One is free to believe what one wishes in regard to the previous statement.)  
> It contains major fanfiction elements of the BBC science-fiction show Doctor Who, an occasional reference to the Douglas Adams novel series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and probably other things too.  
> Any resemblance to particular persons living or dead is entirely coincidental, except for the OC who rather non-coincidentally resembles a particular living person.  
> The fanfiction element of the story is subject to gross and contradictory violations, as the Doctor Who canon universe is often irreverently twisted and sculpted to suit the needs of the author. However, this is hardly noticeable as the TV show itself makes little sense on a good day. One could liken the plot to the TARDIS, or perhaps the Infinite Improbability Drive - it is perfectly illogical but also quite commonplace for a swimming pool to be in a library, or for a starship to fit in one's pocket. It simply requires a little imagination.  
> All rights reserved, either by the BBC, the author, or the author's feline companion, depending on what parts one may be interested in stealing. Don't.  
> The story is dedicated to the author's dailymotion.com account which is in all probability illegal.  
> An insincere apology is extended to David Tennant, who may or may not be mentioned in a mildly insulting context. An even less sincere apology will be offered to Matt Smith's eyebrows... wherever they've gotten to.  
> And a very sincere thanks goes out to anyone who may be reading this and acted upon a crazy and ill-advised urge to hit that kudos butto. Comments are even better. If one feels inclined to follow or even PM the author to say something nice, there may be unexpectedly fabulous consequences. Do.  
> This author's note is being written from 2018, but was published in 2017 for awkward reasons involving that little green switch on the TARDIS console that wasn't supposed to be touched. It is in all likelihood being read in 2008 for similar reasons. Apologies for any confusion.  
> One may now consider oneself thoroughly disclaimed. On with the story.

**Chapter song: _Doomsday_ by Murray Gold**

***

" _Offline._ "

And just like that, the Doctor's universe fell apart.

"I've got to get it," screamed Rose over the still-howling winds. Releasing the magnet with one hand, she strained to reach the lever. It was just too far - her fingers slipped from the magnet and she barely managed to grasp the lever handle before the force of the Void could tear her away.

Slowly, excruciatingly, she pushed it upright. The instant it clicked back into place, the gentle female voice assuring them " _Online and locked,_ " the suction redoubled. Rose's feet were swept from the floor, her hands struggling to grip the lever.

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled, suddenly desperate. "Hold on!"

"I... can't—"

The Doctor growled in frustration, then violently made up his mind. "Just hang on - I'll fix it!" he told her, and pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket.

Instantly he felt the Void's tug on it, sucking both him and the screwdriver harder toward the breach. It was all he could do to hang on to the magnet with one hand and not let go of the tiny metal device with the other. Across the room, Rose let out a wordless cry as she struggled to maintain her grasp.

It was like every second stretched into centuries - and the Doctor knew firsthand how that felt. One by one, the girl's fingers slipped from the lever handle, and piece by piece, the Doctor's hearts began to shatter.

In one final burst of determination, he wrested the screwdriver back to his chest, aiming it at the lever handle. He still wasn't sure what he could accomplish with it, but something definitely happened. With a shower of sparks and a sickening _crunch,_ the lever jerked out of position.

The next instant, Rose was flying across the room, a final scream torn from her throat. Before the Doctor could even curse his own stupidity, another figure shimmered into existence between Rose and the open Void. Her father's arms were wide, and with a grunt of surprise, he caught the girl before she could be sucked into the breach.

One final glance.

The Doctor screamed her name.

And both figures vanished, only seconds before the breach sealed itself and everything went still.

There was no time to think.

The Doctor dropped to the floor, staring motionlessly at the wall where the Void had raged only moments before. He was breathing hard, the screwdriver clenched so tightly in his hand it might have drawn blood and he wouldn't have noticed.

Slow, measured steps took the tall figure across the room. Not even the faint popping and sparking of the damaged lever drew his attention. A deep moaning emanated throughout the building from dozens of floors below.

The Doctor placed his hand against the pristine white wall. There was no way through anymore - the gap between parallel universes was sealed permanently.

It was just a wall.

And the floor beneath him was just a floor, it had always been a floor - so _why was it shaking?_

The Doctor tensed. The vibrations were getting stronger, and he could hear... A look of horror crossed his face, and he sprinted away from the wall as a rumbling crash filled the white room.

Everything happened at once. In a tremendous explosion of sound and plaster, the TARDIS rose through the floor. The wall behind the Doctor spasmed with colour. Both levers snapped completely free, whether as a side effect or a cause of the breach, it was impossible to say.

The Void had re-opened itself.

The Doctor had assumed too much - how could the TARDIS resist the pull of the Void? It virtually _belonged_ there. The nothingness it spent so much time jumping through was claiming the blue box at last. Spinning slowly toward the breach, the TARDIS appeared to be resisting its pull - but fifty floors of steel-reinforced concrete hadn't stopped it, and neither would the Doctor's six-foot frame.

He leaped for the TARDIS's swinging doors, his first priority to get control of the ship. With action-movie precision, the Time Lord rolled into the doorway and grabbed a handle. Realizing his screwdriver was still gripped in his other hand, he aimed it at one of the magnets still attached to the opposite wall, running on a vague idea of keeping the TARDIS in place with the Torchwood technology.

It was all noise and wind around the Doctor as he hung out of the doorway. There was nothing left for the Void to grab at but the Doctor and his TARDIS, the suction becoming pinpoint-focused on them.

Whatever he'd been planning with the magnet instantly backfired. His aim was jostled wildly by the spinning box, and the next moment the magnet had detached itself from the wall, flying through the air straight to the Doctor's hand...

He wasn't ready for it.

It bowled him over backwards, continuing its trajectory directly toward the console of the TARDIS and embedding itself there with a shower of sparks. The Doctor lost his grip, both doors slamming shut, and suddenly it was too late.

The Void had claimed its last possessions.

Slowly, it quieted, the white room going dead. No one was there to see it. No one could have helped.

On this side, there was no coming back.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. You still with me? I hope no one's too traumatized. This'll be a pretty long author's note, but the content is crucial to how you read the story, so let's go!  
> You may have figured this out already (I mean I hope you've figured this out already), but this scene comes from Series 2, Episode 13 (02x13 for short). I hate to start a book off with Doomsday, but that's just how it goes sometimes✌️  
> As you can see, I've changed a few details even before we crossed outside the show's canon. For example, the episode doesn't specifically record what happens after the Void closes, so technically what comes next is just headcanon (means it could have happened, isn't contradicted by the actual show). But before that, I did throw in a couple details, like the Doctor pulling out his sonic screwdriver, that aren't in the original. So that would count as AU (alternate universe) in fandom-speak. Except I'm going to refer to it instead as UA (universe, altered) which implies that tiny details have been altered, rather than events or people which affect the entire universe. My changes aren't big enough to warrant an AU, in my opinion, so this is how I'm working it. I'm up for a discussion on my method, though!  
> Anyway, in the next chapter we're getting into the actual story. Took me long enough, right?  
> Time to meet Ash Forrester.


	2. 1 || Prologue

**_Rose's Theme_ by Murray Gold**  
***  
I turned the corner and slammed into a very solid someone.

"Ah!" I yelped, grabbing for my textbooks as they slipped from my hands. The paper coffee cup I'd been holding bounced off my leg and hit the tiled floor with a splash. My French textbook lay open in a pool of liquid.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The man who'd run into me stopped dead. I caught a glimpse of neatly pressed dress pants and white Converse as I ducked to pick up my books. Students parted around us, most continuing down the hallway without sparing a glance.

I popped an earbud out, letting it sway over my shoulder. Hardly paying attention, I straightened the now-empty cup with a rueful sigh. "S'all right - I wasn't looking where I was going, either." I lifted my soggy notebook from the floor, mentally gauging whether it was still usable.

To my surprise, the man crouched next to me, rescuing my other books from the mess. "Oh, I am _so_ sorry," he said again, and I caught the hint of a British accent.  
Call me a sucker for an accent, but I was instantly intrigued. Straightening, I glanced down at the puddle on the hallway floor, wondering vaguely how I was supposed to clean that up. "It's really all right," I started again, but then I raised my eyes to the man's face and all words failed me.

"Sorry to bother you," he began haltingly, "but could you do me a favour? I'm - ah - a bit lost, would you mind telling me... exactly... where I am?"

I broke into a grin, my eyes locked on his. "You're in the tunnels underneath the Hunter building at the university, Winnipeg, Manitoba, the country of Canada, continent of North America, planet Earth, the Solar System, Milky Way, the Universe. And it's nearly 2:30 pm on March 14, 2017 A.D."

He stared at me, open-mouthed. Tousled brown hair stuck out every which way from his head, adding to the dumbfounded expression on his face. Creamy liquid dripped down his brown trench coat from the textbook gripped in his left hand. "I... you..."

"It's Tuesday, if that helps," I added quickly.

A grin slowly spread across his face. "That's the best answer I've ever gotten."

"And you're the best cosplayer I've ever seen," I laughed, looking him up and down. "Wow - I don't believe it. Where did you get that _exact_ suit?"

His smile faltered. "Sorry?"

"And the haircut! It's perfect. I just - I can't get over how _perfect_ it is." I gestured expansively to his outfit, then realized he was still holding my books. "Oh no - you're getting coffee on your costume. I'm so sorry. Here, I'll take that."

"Thank you?" The man shifted uncertainly, hardly noticing as I tugged the textbook from his hand. "Um... I'm the Doctor."

"I should say!" Grinning like a maniac, I used my free hand to fan myself in excitement. "The most realistic one _I've_ ever met."

"Oh, you've... met more of me?" He rocked back on his heels, a faint frown crossing his face.

"Well, not in person. I'm pretty new to the fandom, actually. But _this_ -" I paused for another good long look - "I don't think it can get any better than this. Have you got the screwdriver?"

"The what?"

"The sonic screwdriver. Oh, tell me you didn't forget it."

His hand instinctively went for his coat pocket. Then something changed in his face, like he was snapping out of a dream. "Wait - did you say _Canada?_ "

"Yup," I said, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "Bit far from home, aren't you?"

Both his fists were clenched in his hair, his face screwing up with sudden emotion. "This doesn't make any _sense._ And it's 2017! I must have knocked the stabilizers off-kilter when the magnet hit the central navigation panel - and if it was on autopilot, it might have jostled the coordinates _just_ enough - but I have to get back."

My eyes were wide. "Wow. You're good."

"Yes, thank you, it's been lovely and all, but I _really_ need to go now." He shoved his hands into his pockets, staring up at the pipes that formed the ceiling of the tunnel. "March 14 - maybe the temporal shift was caused by the force of the..." He stepped back slowly, his muttering trailing off.

"So what year are you from then?" I bit my lip to contain my ecstasy. This was _good._ Really really good. "Like, are you still with Rose? Have you met Donna yet?"

His head snapped down to look at me. "Who's Donna? And - hang on a minute - how do you know about Rose?"

I flinched slightly under his penetrating gaze. "Just trying to pinpoint you. Obviously you're the Tenth Doctor, and if you haven't met Donna, you're still in Series 2, no? Oh, hon, I'm sorry about that ending."

"Sorry." He seemed to be pulling away again, shaking his head. "I don't know why I'm still here. This is obviously a mistake, I need to get back."

"For what?" I started, but he was already turning away.

"Right, I'm off. Thanks for the _fantastic_ answer, by the way, and sorry about your coffee."

And he whirled away, walking briskly in the opposite direction without so much as a backward glance. I stared after him, a laugh bubbling up in my throat. I'd be late for class, my textbooks were probably ruined, and the drink I'd just bought was in a puddle on the floor, but you don't have a conversation like that one every day.

Oh, it was _so_ worth it.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe this isn't even chapter 1 yet? I know my part labeling skills are atrocious. I think the main problem was that I couldn't think of a funny chapter title for this one. Yep, there are going to be funny chapter titles. I love them. Anyway, I might come up with a title eventually and then I'll change up all the "prologues" because it's a mess.  
> Oh, and this is from Ash's POV. First person. All the chapters will be, from now on. Cool?  
> On to chapter 1, and we aren't done with the Doctor yet.


	3. Ship It Like The TARDIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what user feedback does! It makes me remember this fic exists! And then I update it! Incredible!
> 
> Seriously, though, I keep forgetting I even have AO3 until someone leaves kudos and then I get an email. This story is actually posted on Wattpad too, which is my main platform, so if you want to read like eight chapters ahead you can go there! I'll try to update on here more too :)

I stared across the crowded hallway tunnel, a goofy grin plastered all over my face.

Clutching my soggy textbooks to my chest with one arm, I absently fingered the ends of my short auburn hair. A tinny voice was audible in my left ear - it took me a moment to realize I still had one earbud in. I quickly snapped out of it, adjusting the music volume, and glanced down at the tiled floor one last time to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

Nope - one last scrap of paper. I bent to scoop it up, then noticed that it wasn't mine. Various circles and cryptic designs covered both sides of the notepaper.

"Wait," I mumbled, turning the paper over and over in my fingers. Then, louder: "Wait!"

My head shot up, searching for the man's figure in the steady stream of students. How had he disappeared so fast?

I found myself running, ducking around people in my sudden dash through the tunnel. The hallway curved upwards, rising to ground level, and I darted around the corner.

There he was, head bent over something in his hand as he pushed through a door off the main hallway.

"Doctor, wait!" I clutched my books tighter and sped up, bursting through the door only seconds later.

"Oh my gosh," I breathed, stopping dead just over the threshold.

At the bottom of the stairwell, just a few metres in front of me, rested a blue police telephone box. The man was standing in front of it, fumbling with the lock. He threw a glance over his shoulder when he heard the door open, but quickly turned back.

My mouth hung open. "You have the TARDIS!"

His head jerked up as he whirled back to face me, nearly dropping his key. "What did you say?"

"You forgot this." I stepped closer, barely looking at the guy as I pushed the crumpled note into his chest. My attention was focused solely on the tall wooden box behind him. "Oh, wow, it's like a perfect replica - the handles are even a bit off-centre. How did you make this? It's amazing!"

"The handles are _not_ off-centre—" He stopped, turning to stand protectively between me and the police box. Frowning at the note in his hand, he shoved it into a pocket and closed his fingers around the key again. "Sorry. I don't have time for this."

"You've got all the time in the universe," I exclaimed, still drinking in the sight - the Doctor, leaning against his TARDIS like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Actually, I don't." His entire demeanour had changed from just a minute ago. Now his eyes were dark, a fierce emotion etched into the line of his jaw as though it was all he could do to appear under control.

He shook his head. "I'm in a hurry. Also, you might want to stand back." And with that, he had slipped inside the blue box.

I made a face at the closed door. It looked ridiculously out of place here in the stairwell, sitting in the tunnels under my university. Why that guy would choose to store it here of all places - I tilted my head, wondering.

If he was just going to a costume party, he seemed ridiculously over-prepared. Had the box been some kind of woodworking project? Was this all an elaborate prank or some advertisement? Maybe I wasn't supposed to have followed him - had I interrupted somehow before the preparation was complete?

He was probably waiting for me to leave. I sighed and stepped back toward the stairs, throwing one last glance at the perfect replica of the spaceship from _Doctor Who._

That's when it started making noise.

I froze in shock. The light on the top of the police box was flashing, and the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing filled my ears, echoing up the stairwell.

_Those are some awesome special effects,_ I thought vaguely.

Then the box began to disappear.

A surge of panic rose in my chest. Before I could have a conscious thought, I was racing over to the fading image, yelling the only word I could summon. "Doctor! _Doctor, wait!_ "

It was too late - the sound was fading, and I could barely make out the lines of the box. I let out another yell of frustration, my mind still struggling to catch up. It was totally impossible. I was imagining things. And yet...

"That just happened," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut. Maybe when I opened them again—

And there it was.

Sitting in the exact spot I'd seen it disappear from. I blinked again, and it didn't move. My jaw hit the floor. Was I going crazy?

The door creaked open, and there he stood. One hand shoved into his pocket, the other against the inside of the doorway.

"Blimey, you can shout," he said.

"You're kidding me." I stared as though seeing him for the first time. "You have got to be kidding me."

"About the shouting? No, I—"

I lunged forward, pushing past him through the doorway. The second I was inside, I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing.

It wasn't just a wooden box.

A sourceless golden light filled the circular room. I could see everything - just like I'd imagined it, like I'd seen it on the screen, and yet so much more real. Curved bronze columns arched on either side of the catwalk that led to the centre console. The clear blue-green tube in the middle thrummed steadily, in tune with the sighing pulse of the TARDIS. I stepped slowly toward the centre, as though it all might disappear if I made any sudden moves.

"It's not polite to enter without being invited, you know," came a voice from behind me. The spell was broken. I turned around.

"This is the TARDIS," I managed, finally remembering how to breathe.

"Yeah, who told you that?" He released the door, a strange frown etched into his features. "You act like you know me."

I hardly registered his question. "You're the Doctor."

"Yes."

"And... you're real."

He didn't respond, still studying me like I was the alien.

I grinned weakly. "It's bigger on the inside."

"Is it?" His expression didn't change.

"Oh, come on. That was supposed to be funny."

"Everyone says that."

"I know."

"You seem to know a lot about me." The Doctor folded his arms, penetrating gaze still fixed on my face. "Are you with Torchwood, then?"

"No," I started. "It's just that there's..."

"There's what?"

I shook my head helplessly. "There's a TV show. You're on a TV show, and you fly around through space and time in the TARDIS with your companions, and a lot of things attack you but you usually get out of it, save the universe and that sort of thing. There, I said it. I sound absolutely crazy."

There was a long silence.

"A TV show," he repeated.

I realized how ridiculous this was. He was fictional. The Doctor was a character in a TV show. It was nothing short of insanity to claim anything more. And yet there he stood in front of me, large as life, both of us inside a ship that could travel through all of time and space.

I moaned. "This makes no sense. I'm imagining things. No, I can't be. We have a TV show about you. And you're real. But you can't have done all that stuff on the show. We've never been attacked by aliens. Someone would remember that, wouldn't they? This is like... some crazy parallel universe thing going on here."

Something dawned behind the Doctor's expression. Instantly he was pushing past me, circling the centre console, flipping switches and stopping in front of the display screen.

"It can't be," he was muttering. "But that would mean..."

I followed him, realizing I was still holding my school stuff. Dropping it all on a ledge, I came up behind him. "Okay but are you being serious? Did you come from a parallel universe? I mean that would explain a lot."

"What do you know?" he asked suddenly, jabbing at a cluster of buttons beneath the screen. "How much do you know about me?"

Surprised, I hesitated. "From the show? Well, I haven't seen any of the classic stuff - I started with Nine and I'm only part way into the fourth series."

His tone was dark. "Just tell me everything you can."

"Okay... the basics. You're a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who calls himself the Doctor. You've got the TARDIS - this thing - that can travel anywhere in time and space. Aliens are living pretty much everywhere in the galaxy and we don't know it. For some reason you like Earth and you keep taking humans along with you in your ship. There was a Time War and all of the Time Lords and the Daleks died, except for the Daleks. And you. And that other Time Lord dude - the Master. Anyway, after the time war you came to London and found this chick named Rose. She came along with you on a bunch of fabulous adventures and you fell in love. I totally ship you guys. But then she got trapped..." I trailed off. "Wait. You said you hadn't met Donna yet. Does that mean you're still with Rose? Where - I mean when - are you?"

At the beginning of my spiel, the Doctor had been tapping keys with inhuman speed. Slowly, he had stopped paying attention to what he was doing, by the end staring unseeing at the monitor. His knuckles were white, gripping the edge of the console as though he could be flung off at any moment into the Void.

"Um, are you okay?" I tilted my head, trying to make out his expression. "I can stop. Did I say too much? Oh, I'm sorry."

"Rose is trapped..." he murmured. "She's trapped in a parallel universe."

The Doctor slowly straightened, taking a step away from the console as a red alert appeared on the screen. He slid both hands into his pockets.

"And so am I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Please leave kudos or a comment if you liked this, it'd mean the world to me😊 And definitely complain if something doesn't make sense, I'd love any feedback you can give me.
> 
> Thanks again!


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